Pay for gigs

[Vidar Lund]

Charlie McCoy once said in an interview regarding being a studio musician, having to play all those three chord songs over and over again: "We would all like to play "arty" music, but first and foremost we have to play music that brings food on the table and a roof over our head". In other words, as Les Paul said, “That’s why you're hungry, Miles!” I said, “If you want to play you gotta play to the people!”

[BillB]

Didn't Chet talk about the first 5 frets as being "where the money is"?

Bill B.

[Norm]

...that or something like there wasn't much money on the dusty end of the fingerboard

[Eddie Estes]

Which is why I have started working on my singing.

I'll get dates where I get requests to play guitar stuff.
Bout 75%.

Eddie

[dgallent]

I heard Chet say to many aspiring artists the following gems of wisdom:

1-the best way to be a star is to reinterpret an older song or standard. It gives you identity.

2-Before you do your thing.....you have to do their thing

3-Always be true to the composer the first time through a song and on the second run start improvising. This is out of respect for the writer. It tells the listener that first of all... it is the music.

4-A star knows how to take the stage....an artist knows when to leave. Let them always want more.(He was perturbed with Mark Knoffler who had opened for him at Caffe Milano and Chet was stirring in the green room and looked up and told me this as Mark had run over quite a bit)

5-Learn to play slow....it is a lost art...getting feeling and sound out of a single note...(No one did this better than Chet...no one)

All from the Master...Chet Atkins